Bill Thompson Warms Up His 2013 Mayoral Campaign

New York City voters won’t head to the polls to elect a new mayor until 2013, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to begin campaigning for the job.

On Friday, aides to Bill Thompson, the Democratic mayoral nominee who narrowly lost to Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2009, sent out a public schedule for Thompson — the first of the 2013 mayoral race. The subject line in the email reads: “Bill Thompson for Mayor Public Schedule.”

The schedule lists seven events during the course of the next week, including a civics breakfast and a few receptions for politicians. Thompson will be attending a breakfast next week billed as a forum on the future of New York City.

Thompson, who served as city comptroller from 2002 through 2009, currently works at Siebert Brandford Shank & Co., a municipal underwriting firm. He hasn’t been shy about letting voters know that he hopes to succeed Bloomberg when the mayor’s third term ends, announcing his impending candidacy shortly after his defeat in 2009.

Among Thompson’s potential opponents are City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; Public Advocate Bill de Blasio; City Comptroller John Liu, who replaced Thompson; and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

A survey from the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute earlier this month showed Thompson toward the bottom of the pack, with 8% saying they planned to vote for him. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who has said he doesn’t plan to run for mayor, led the pack with 25% of city voters.

The survey showed Quinn with 17%; Liu, 10%; de Blasio, 6%; and Stringer 5%. Borough President Marty Markowitz, who is not expected to run, had a strong showing with 14%.

A year ago, The Wall Street Journal shadowed Thompson as he campaigned for Andrew Cuomo at a Brooklyn church in the days before the 2010 gubernatorial vote.

“We came close last time for mayor. We came that close,” Thompson said at the time, flashing his fingers together narrowly as metaphor for his defeat. ”When someone says, ‘I thought you were going to be the next mayor of the City of New York,’ ” Thompson told the crowd, “I tell them, ‘I will be.’ “